Jalopnik: Tata

The cheapest car in the world now has a $4.6 million price tag

Justin Hyde — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 12:00:00 EDT

Remember when the Tata Nano, the world's cheapest production car, was going to conquer the world like an Indian Model T? Tata's now built a gold-encrusted Nano worth $4.6 million as a publicity stunt. I don't recall Henry Ford needing to do that. More »

Tata's U.S. vehicle will cost far more than $2,000

Justin Hyde — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:00:00 EDT

Indian car magnate Rajan Tata says instead of shipping the $2,000 Nano to the United States, he'll design a U.S. model that will likely cost between $7,000 and $8,000. Watch out, sellers of used PT Cruisers. More »

Tata Nano Convertible Is A Darwin Award Prospect

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 10:00:00 EDT

The Tata Nano's cheap, tiny, slow, has only low-speed crash protection, occasionally bursts into flames, and now they've cut the roof off and made convertibles. Two exactly. Both designed to ferry passengers on plant tours. Terrifying. (H/T to vavon205) [Wheelosphere] More »

The Tata Nano Is Bad For India

Avinash Rajagopa, Change Observer — Tue, 25 May 2010 12:00:00 EDT

The $2,500 Tata Nano is the cheapest car in the world, but as Avinash Rajagopal of Change Observer tells us, its low price tag may irreparably damage Indian society. — Ed. More »

Four Tata Nanos Go Up In Flames In India

Wes Siler — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EDT

The Tata Nano, the cheapest car in the world, is awash in bad press after four brand-new cars have caught fire in India. Is Tata about to become the Indian Toyota? More »

$2,500 Tata Nano Aiming For 2013 U.S. Launch

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:00:00 EST

Because the Chevy Aveo RS is moving upscale, cheap Americans will need new crap cars to waste their pointless lives in. Crap cars like the Tata Nano, which may end up here in 2013. More »

Ghosn Says Nissan Microcar To Trump Nano On Cost

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST

The race to the bottom of the market continues as Nissan-Renault boss Carlos Ghosn announced plans for an ultra-cheap micro-car to undercut the current low-cost leading Tata Nano. Wonder if they've considered resin-impregnated cotton fiber for the body, duroplast-Trabant-style? [FinancialTimes] More »

Ten Vehicles That Don't Belong On BuisnessWeek's 50 Ugliest Cars List

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:30:00 EST

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We're convinced BusinessWeek intentionally created its "Fifty Ugliest Cars of the Past 50 Years" list to offend Jalopnik reader sensibilities as much as possible. We've pulled out ten cars that simply have no place on this list. Two-minutes hate ahead. More »

Tata To Close A Jaguar or Land Rover Plant In 2014

Ray Wert — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 07:20:00 EDT

Tata will close either a Jaguar or Land Rover plant in England in 2014. [AutoNews] More »

We've Got More Horsepower In Our Driveways And That's A Good Thing

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:01:00 EDT

Science writer Alexis Madrigal put together an analysis showing we have more power in our garage than in our power plants. The data is interesting but the conclusions are fantastically wrong. Having more power is a good, nay, awesome thing. More »

Tata Nano Key Is Half The Car's Size!

Matt Hardigree — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EDT

The Tata Nano is only $2,500. Good price, right? Well, now we know the catch: the key is nearly as big as the car itself! More »

Tata Nano Passes European Crash Tests

Wes Siler — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:30:00 EDT

The $2,500 Tata Nano has passed European front and side impact crash tests, an important step in expanding sales of the tiny Indian city car to Europe and, possibly, North America. More »

Tata Nano Pricing To Top Out At $3,650

Matt Hardigree — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:00:00 EDT

The Tata Nano is the cheapest car in the world at under $2,000 — before options. If you want solid paint you'll need to fork over more rupees. Full price list below. More »

First Tata Nano Review: "Amazingly Good"

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:30:00 EDT

Since orders for the Tata Nano officially started being taken Monday, independent reviews are also beginning to roll out. The verdict? "Feels just like a car." More »

Tata Planning Nano For US Market

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:00:00 EDT

The Tata Nano, the sub-$2,000 world's cheapest car, is being considered for sale in the United States in 2011 and 2012. Tata believes our economy is so bad we'll buy their cute death traps. More »

Sub-$2,000 Tata Nano Officially Cheapest Car

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 09:00:00 EDT

Pre-orders are officially being taken today for the Tata Nano in India at an MSRP of 100,000 rupees (just under $2,000). That makes the Nano officially the cheapest automobile in the world. More »

Tata Nano Europa: A Cheap Car Gets Less Cheap For Europe

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 11:00:00 EST

The tiny and fascinating Tata Nano will supposedly go on sale at the end of this month in India, but this didn't stop CEO Ratan Tata from previewing an "upscale" model for the European market. More »

Tata Claims Nano To Launch March 23rd

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 12:30:00 EST

Just more than a year ago the Tata Nano was unveiled to the world and following farmer revolts, wildly fluctuating material prices and the Carpocalypse, Tata is claiming the car will finally launch March 23rd. More »

Tata Motors Chairman, Owner Of Taj Mahal Hotel, Claims They "Had Warning" Ahead Of Attack

Matt Hardigree — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 00:01:00 EST

Tata Motors parent company, Tata Group, owns the Taj Mahal Hotel at the center of the deadly attacks in Mumbai ending this morning. News the same company producing the Tata Nano, the cheapest car in the world, also owns one of the largest and nicest hotels in India shouldn't come as a surprise given the Tata Group owns almost 100 companies with operations in 85 countries. Ratan Tata, chairman of both Tata Group as well as Tata Motors, said the hotel had been warned of a possible attack and had increased security over the past few weeks but claimed it was not enough to stop given what he claims were a series of well-planned, well-organized attacks. Ratan Tata, in the same interview with Fareed Zakeria, went on to criticize the preparedness of the Indian officials. Which is interesting seeing as the hotel had returned to a normal level of security shortly before this week's terror attacks. More »

Tata Nano Tester Spotted Amid Rumors Of December Launch

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EDT

Amateur spy shooters in the right place at the right time snagged these great photos of the Tata Nano undergoing testing — revealing the interior for the first time since the Geneva show. The micro-sized $2,500 "people's car" being championed by Indian industrial giant Ratan Tata faces an uphill battle after its nearly completed West Bengal factory was shuttered as a result of farmer protests stemming from disagreements surrounding compensation for land the factory was built on. Despite the temporary setback, work continues and rumor has it the company is set to launch base models coming from the automaker's existing Pune and Pantnagar plants on Ratan Tata's 71st birthday — December 28th. So far these rumors remain unconfirmed, however company officials state they are exploring the possibility of production at other facilities. We'll just have to keep an ear to the ground. More »

Tata Abandons Factory Site, Will They Ever Build The Nano?

Ray Wert — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 18:20:00 EDT

Recent developments have put into serious jeopardy Indian automaker Tata's attempt to build the world's cheapest production car, the Tata Nano. Reuters reports today the most serious roadblock to building the car since the Nano was first unveiled back in January. According to the wire service, Tata has now abandoned their attempt to build the Nano factory in the West Bengal state of India. More »

Tata Nano Factory Construction Put On Indefinite Hold

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:40:00 EDT

Escalating material costs aren't the only thing standing in the way of the $2,500 Tata Nano. Increasingly violent protests from farmers surrounding the rising Nano factory have forced Tata to put an indefinite hold on the progress. The farmers' beef comes from their assertion they were unfairly compensated for their land when Tata moved into the area of West Bengal. At this point, Tata is considering all options, including picking everything up and moving. This, of course, would be an expensive prospect, driving costs up on the microcar. At this point, we don't care what it takes, but we need a Nano stat, complete with mid-mounted Hayabusa mill. [CTVNews] More »

GM: Sale Of Hummer Is "Urgent"

Mark Arnold — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 10:00:00 EDT

Automotive News reports that GM President and Chief Operating Officer Fritz Henderson told reporters at a recent press conference in India that the sale of the Hummer brand is on an "urgent basis." That's no surprise, since General Motors is predicting a US vehicle market of around 14 million units for 2008, down from 16 million units last year. Why the statement was made in India, we have no idea, since Mahindra has denied interest in buying Hummer. Perhaps Tata could still be thinking about a purchase? [via Automotive News, Sub. Req.] More »

Tata Nano And Other Affordable Vehicles Could Increase Indian Road Deaths To 150,000 Per Year

Wes Siler — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:40:00 EDT

The Indian Transport Ministry estimates that the number of fatalities from road accidents could climb 50% to 150,000 a year by 2015 due to the rapid growth of vehicle ownership in the country. The World Bank estimates that at current levels (100,000 per year), India’s mortality rate is 14 for every 10,000 vehicles — seven times that of the developed world. Annual passenger vehicle sales in India are expected to reach two million units by 2010, double the current number, largely thanks to the massive increase in the number of affordable vehicles. The Tata Nano — at $2,500, the world’s cheapest new car — will make up a quarter of that increase alone; 250,000 of them will be built per year. More »

Chrysler In Talks To Sell Jeeps In India, Fiats In North America

Andrew Stoy — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:40:00 EDT

According to Automotive News, Cerberus is engaged in behind-the-scenes talks with both Tata Motors and Fiat regarding sales and manufacturing linkups. Chrysler wants to use Tata to gain a foothold for its Jeep Wrangler in Indian and Asian markets. More intriguingly, the company is reportedly talking to Fiat about the Italian automaker leasing excess Chrysler production capacity in the U.S. and "cooperating in retail distribution in the U.S. market." Will this mark the return of Fiat to our shores, via Chrysler? More »

Tata Considers Relaunching Daimler Luxury Brand

Matt Hardigree — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:20:00 EDT

Tata may attempt to extend its luxury business by resurrecting the Daimler luxury brand, according to reports from an investor meeting. Tata secured the rights to the Daimler name as part of the Jaguar-Land Rover purchase, though currently the only car with that name is the range-topping Jaguar Daimler Super 8. As we reported, Tata assumed numerous brands in the deal, including the rights to produce cars under the name Daimler (DaimlerAG, formerly DaimlerChrysler, was given permission to use the name for their corporation from Ford before the Tata sale). These super-luxury cars from Tata could reach for a level currently occupied by other manufacturers. More »

Tata Nano To Get Two-Cylinder Turbo-Diesel Power, Bajillion Miles Per Gallon

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:00:00 EDT

The Economic Times of India is reporting Tata has teamed up with German engineering firm FEV (who's also developing the hybrid system on the Mahindra Scorpio) to bring an 800 cc, turbocharged, two-cylinder diesel to the engine bay of the Tata Nano. Already blessed with a $2500 price tag and rumored to have a compressed air engine on the way, the story of the Nano just keeps getting more and more interesting. More »

Tata Nano To Offer Compressed Air Engine Optional, Make Electric Cars Look Silly

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:00:00 EDT

Buried in a New York Times article on "Low-Carbon Chic" (vomit) comes confirmation the Tata Nano, the $2500 (or maybe a bit more) mini-car will offer a MDI compressed air engine as an option. Tata has been backing MDI for a while now, and off-the-cuff we mused at the idea of the compressed air engine option in a Nano months ago. Given the novelty of the engine, it was more a dismissal than speculation. Well, we guess it turns out we were right. Remember after the Tata Nano was unveiled, how all the enviro-dweebs whined incessantly about how the huge swath of new little cars on India's streets would contribute bajillions of tons of carbon dioxide to the environment? Well, maybe they'll be eating some crow because $3 worth of electricity will probably fill a tank for a 125 mile trip. More »

Blue Steel: $2500 Tata Nano May Become Slightly More Pricey

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:00:00 EDT

Ratan Tata wowed the world when he revealed his company's Tata Nano, the miniscule two-cylinder, four-door runabout designed to go to market with an equally tiny $2,500 price tag. Now, due to pressures from rising commodity prices, Tata may be in jeopardy of missing that now famous 1-lakh goal. Steel prices have jumped 30% since the car's initial unveil in January, while the cost of plastics, silicon and fuel oil have risen as well. So what's next for the bottom line? More »

Ta Ta, Land Rover: British Army Replaces Defender With American Ridgback

Andrew Stoy — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:00:00 EDT

In a truly majestic snub, the British Ministry of Defence has elected to replace its forward fleet of Land Rover Defenders with American-made "Ridgback" (or "Ridgeback" depending upon source) 4x4 armored trucks. The new vehicles are said to provide better protection for troops, better handling — better "manoeuverability" in the Queen's English, and, gasp, better reliability! We're not sure if the replacement plans are a tacit acknowledgement that there is no more British auto industry left to which the government should be loyal, or if British forces were simply getting tired of Lucas Electrics letting the smoke out deep down Kandahar way, where there's not only no proper service facility, but the tea is positively ghastly. [Autocar.uk, Photo Credit: Rover Nut @ Flickr] More »

More Evidence Points To Hummer Sale; Russians, Chinese Interested?

Andrew Stoy — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:15:00 EDT

More evidence is emerging that GM is moving quickly to solve its Hummer problem. The Detroit Free Press reports today on John Voss, a Dayton-area dealer who purchased a Hummer franchise in April, who says that GM offered to refund his money. "They have three choices and they said they want to make this decision very quickly," Voss said. "They are either going to make a smaller Hummer hybrid and change the H2, close the brand or sell it." Given the lead time needed to create a Hummer hybrid or impose radical changes to the H2 and the implications of closing the brand, a sale still seems to be the most practical option for GM. More »

Jaguar Moving To New Jersey, Employees To Adopt Comical Accents

Matt Hardigree — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:20:00 EDT

We suggest you not underestimate the staggering drawing power of the Garden State, especially to English companies that are now Indian companies. Jag is joining the club and moving its HQ and approximately 50 employees from Irvine, CA to New Jersey. Why is Jersey, already home to luxury automaker BMW, so appealing to Jaguar and Tata executives? Was it the Paramus Mall? Bon Jovi? Not quite. More »

Tata Looking At Buying Hummer, Jokes Write Themselves

Ben Wojdyla — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:20:00 EDT

Okay, sooner or later Tata is going to have to stop making headlines, 'cause we're really, really trying to cut back on the innuendo. But today we get news that Tata is considering purchasing the brand GM may be trying to shed, Hummer. And even with our newfound restraint, we have to admit we had a mild aneurysm at the innuendo potential. Nobody from either the GM or Tata side is willing to make a comment on the possible sale, but word is that GM is shopping the brand around to the Indian mega-conglomerate. This makes us wonder, how does Tata greenwash itself when it builds a tiiiiiiny car, and a giant, gas-guzzling SUV? Well, we're sure they'll figure it out — Hummer tatas! [India Times] More »

First Video Of Tata Nano Actually Driving, The $2,500 Money Shot

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:00:00 EDT

Ever since the Tata Nano set the world ablaze with the promise of the $2,500 car, we've been anxious to see one actually driving around. Alas, courtesy of a couple of dudes with a camera we now have the video of the half-pint people mover actually moving people. And unlike those fancy American cars, there's no need for serious camo on the Tata Nano when testing, as that would drive the price of the car up to $2,501. Check out the jumpy, blotchy video above. [YouTube via TopSpeed] More »

2010 Jaguar XF-R

Wes Siler — Wed, 21 May 2008 11:40:00 EDT

KGP, the quickest-snapping spy photographers this side of Jim Dunne (he doesn't wait to focus) just caught the best shots yet of the up-powered 2010 Jaguar XF-R as it rolled through the city streets somewhere in the UK. Check out those hood vents, that big and aggressive front air dam and the grille's new strainer-like mesh treatment. As far as the powerplant, KGP tells us

"Sources report that the XF-R will get a new supercharged 5.0-liter V8 making a minimum of 500 horsepower, so Jaguar clearly appears to have the likes of the BMW M5 and AMG E63 in its sights."

Yes, this pretty kitty positively oozes the feel of performance. Maybe it will help to overcome that rear end quarter panel that positively oozes the look of a Dodge Intrepid. Full spy report after the jump. Wait, Jim Dunne's still alive? Who knew? — Ed. More »

Renault-Nissan And Bajaj Team Up On Tata-Upstaging $2,500 Car

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 12 May 2008 09:40:00 EDT

Ratan Tata and his eponymous company sent the automotive world buzzing with news of their $2,500 car, the lilliputian Nano. At the time, we reported that Bajaj Auto, which is partnered with Renault-Nissan, was going to announce a $3,000 car. Turns out the companies have found a way to cut $500 off the price to create a $2,500 competitor. To make this car the three companies are creating a new company with ownership split between Renault (25%), Nissan (25%) and Bajaj Auto (50%). No name on the car other than the codename "ULC" which we can only guess stands for "Uncomfortable, Little and Cheap." The car is to be sold in India in early 2011 as the primary market. Press release below the jump. More »

Volga Display Of Prana: Russian Automaker GAZ Seeks Partners In India

John Krewson — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 10:00:00 EDT

Apparently this has been out there for a while, but before we discussed the news that Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod, manufacturers of the Volga line of hulking vehicular tragicomic props, was looking for partners on the Indian subcontinent, we needed to find press releases with the right sort of Moose-Und-Sqvirrel feel. More »

Tata Now Owns Jaguar, Land Rover, Rover, Daimler And Lanchester

Matt Hardigree — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:15:00 EDT

Apparently, we were more prescient (or slow) than we thought when we asked "Who Should Tata Buy Next?" It turns out that, as part of the Ford-Tata deal, Tata ended up owning not only the Jaguar and Land Rover brands, but also Daimler, Rover and Lanchester. Someone is going to have to re-do that chart. The story of how the names have transfered is kind of hilarious and featured under the jump. It also may have played into the mysterious $300 million that evaporated from the big deal this week.
More »

Commenter Of The Day: Reversal Of Fortune Edition

Matthew DeBord — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 18:15:00 EDT

Try this on for size: Between the wars, at its pinnacle in the 20th century, Britain exerted dominion over almost half a billion people. Yes, yes, it would all go completely to crap in less than 50 years and leave us associating the UK with the likes of the Spice Girls, Simon Cowell and Amy Winehouse. Imperialists all, in their own ways, but not exactly the same thing. Anyway, the sheer global vastness of the Pax Britannica is not something that exits collectively memory all that quickly, even as the land of King Arthur and Winston Churchill sheds assets like they were going out of style. We hinted at this development in our Question Of The Day, which focused on increasingly mighty Tata Motors and the matter of whom they should next acquire, after Jaguar and Land Rover. Which of course brings us to the realignment of power and influence that's currently afoot, and to our COTD. More »